CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Chris “Pops” Bowyer sat in a lawn chair wearing a plain white T-shirt and drinking a beer alongside wife Jana and their friends outside of their motorhome a few hundred yards from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bowyer knew he wasn't getting into the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday to see...

In this Friday, May 22, 2020 photo, a groom wearing a face mask leads a horse to the track at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Horse racing returned to the track after being idled for one and a half months because of public health officials' concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ Fired NASCAR star Kyle Larson won the World of Outlaws race Saturday night in Peavley, Missouri, a day after finishing second behind brother-in-law Brad Sweet in the first Sprint Cup event with live fans in the...

Charlotte Motor Speedway is shown in Concord, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Some fans have been coming to the Coca-Cola 600 for decades, but they won’t be allowed into Charlotte Motor Speedwaý on Sunday due to Covid-19, leaving the grandstands empty and many disappointed. (AP Photo/Steve Reed)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Monaco Grand Prix has been canceled. The Indianapolis 500 is postponed until August. Only the Coca-Cola 600 is still scheduled as planned. The most celebrated day in motorsports has been whittled down to the third course, 600 miles around Charlotte Motor Speedway in...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR had been planning sweeping changes for 2021 in hopes of finding new fans and adding some energy to a staid, stale schedule. The coronavirus pandemic put those plans on hold and NASCAR is frantically trying to recover from a 10-week layoff. So far, the stock car series...

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Chase Briscoe capped a heartbreaking week by winning the Xfinity Series’ return to action at Darlington Raceway on Thursday. Briscoe was in the Darlington infield Tuesday awaiting the race’s original start when he digitally joined wife, Marissa, for a 12-week exam for their...

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Denny Hamlin won NASCAR's first Wednesday race since 1984 when rain stopped the event with 20 laps remaining at Darlington Raceway. The Daytona 500 winner was out front but out of fresh tires and trying to hang on when he got unintended help from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate...

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2020, file photo, John Isner of the U.S., front, returns a ball in his semifinal match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. at the Mexican Tennis Open in Acapulco, Mexico. According to an email obtained by The Associated Press on Monday, May 4, the WTA and ATP professional tours, the groups that run the four Grand Slam tournaments and the International Tennis Federation are expected to establish eligibility rules that will factor in the players’ rankings and past prize money earnings. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is working on guidelines to allow sporting events and exhibitions to get back to “some semblance of normalcy” after practically everything shut down to help stem the spread of the...

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Noah Gragson couldn't wait to get back to Xfinity Series racing at Darlington. Instead, he and the rest of the competitors will have to wait until Thursday after heavy rain postponed the series' first race since March, when the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports. “After...

Cars go through a turn past a sign thanking people working during the coronavirus pandemic at Darlington Raceway Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Darlington, S.C. NASCAR, which has been idle for 10 weeks because of the pandemic, made its return with the Real Heroes 400 Nascar Cup Series auto race. (AP Photo/Jenna Fryer)

Fans who had been starving for live sporting events had their appetites somewhat sated last weekend. Network executives knew the first weekend with multiple live events would draw good numbers but for the most part they exceeded expectations. The Bundesliga's return drew record numbers on Fox...

FILE - This May 24, 2019, file photo shows Houston Astros' Aledmys Diaz (16) scoring as Boston Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon reaches to tag him at home plate during the second inning of a baseball game in Houston. The Astros were scheduled to play the Red Sox in the first of consecutive weekend series matching teams that fired World Series-winning managers in the aftermath of a sign-stealing scandal. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Governors around the country are warming to the idea of the return of professional sports to their states, with two caveats: continued progress against the coronavirus and no spectators in the stands. The heads of California, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania spoke Monday of the return of...